UK Activists Convicted for Damaging Van Gogh Frame in Climate Protest

Two Just Stop Oil activists, Emily Brocklebank (24) and Louis McKechnie (22), were found guilty of criminal damage after gluing themselves to the frame of Vincent van Gogh's 1888 painting "Alberi di Pesco in Fiore" at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London on June 30, 2022. The 18th-century frame, older than the painting itself, sustained permanent damage estimated at £2,000. District Judge Neeta Minhas at Westminster Magistrates' Court stated the frame "cannot return to its original state" and deemed the damage "significant, not minor, insignificant, temporary or trivial." Brocklebank received a 21-day suspended sentence and a six-week electronically monitored curfew; McKechnie was jailed for three weeks. Brocklebank told The Guardian: "When it comes to protesting, just talking doesn't give you a platform for dialogue. Gluing yourself gives a story that the media chooses to follow. I didn't think I would cause much damage. Glue comes off." McKechnie stated: "It is immoral that cultural institutions stand by while our society collapses. Galleries should close. Art institution directors should ask the government to immediately stop all new oil and gas projects. Either we resist or we are complicit." The incident marks the first permanent damage reported from such protests in Europe, potentially affecting future actions by Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and other environmental groups, especially after formal approval from ICOM (International Council of Museums).